Mother to child in Aldi- “Ged ear else oi’ll mark ya” (get here, or I ‘ll mark you”)

Mother to child in Boots “You haven’t earned a lollipop today, Sebastian”

And they say we don’t live in a class ridden society:-) Oh well I don’t know. All you want is to GROOVE GROOVE GROOVE to the music, an endorsement with which I heartily concur. You could, like I did last week, get bogged down in some heavy shit with your close family, go pale, have a cry, etc. I did that shit last week. Or you could do what I did tonight, which is SO much more wonderful- let me tell you what I did. I got my 7 inches out. I had a huge amount of fun. It was ecstasy, the pleasure was immense, as I got out my 1959 Dansette record player, and sat down with a pile of original 1960s 45s. Actually I did what Paul Weller does and did a workout while playing the tunes, which kicks off the endorphins to give a natural high. I got a load more endorphins and special good feelings from the records, which were:- Now you’ve got to groove to this. Its too good. First 45 was-

Pretty Ballerina by American psych popsters The Left Banke.This was a pricey rarity via vintage ebay, if you aren’t familiar with this band and you are a 60s music enthusiast, read on. With its lyric of wonder and transcendence at the thought of a beautiful girl pirouetting in a ballet costume, this record brings aching violins and, a little glimpse of heaven.

Mark Lemon - Sartorial Of England

And if a pop record can stop the world turning this way, put it this way words fail me now. It is though a beautiful brilliant record, with a lovely slow dance beat, a bump and grind rhythm, but with this wonderful song with its incredible melody over the top. A little like There She Goes by The La’s. anyway you have surely already realised you need this in your life, if you don’t have it there already. It is one of the Left Banke’s most famous songs, another being Walk Away Renee. So not hard to find. I think Michael Brown who was in the group and wrote this, is a genius. These songs are as good as Paul MCcartney’s best songs.

Next on the Village Green Machine Dansette record player came a Mamas & Papas “b” side called Got a Feelin’. It is an intimate psychedelic gem, played to the rhythm of a grand ticking clock, a gentle lullaby composed by Denny Doherty and master songsmith Jon Phillips from the band.It seems to be mostly the vocal of beautiful Michelle Phillips, it is so special. I am a big M&Ps fan and am delighted to be watching their DVD with these great TV clips. They dressed cool They looked incredible. They had really good songs, great voices and unique chemistry. Lou Reed didn’t like them, but what does that matter.

Things occasionally are so good in life it leaves me standing. such is the case when I tell new readers (and lord knows the old ones have heard this enough times) but my next 45 on the VGM Dansette has a fuzz guitar sound on it which, folks, sounds remarkably like the new Village Green Machine stuff. I can tell you this with some authority, as John Mcnally from The Searchers gave me the fuzz pedal, and it is the same one I use on my latest tunes which ain’t released yet. My all time favourite record is Have You Ever Loved Somebody by The Searchers, which has this fuzz pedal on. What were the chances I would end up being given that very pedal? Nil. this is,proof that God exists. Anyway, I blasted this sound on my Dansette 3 times, its a great song written and recorded originally by The Hollies, but the Searchers being a great band improved upon it, it is a late beat era great pop record. Not a big hit, as the world had become psychedelicised by then, but it was a cutting edge pop record. Totally brilliant. You should try to get hold of an original vinyl copy, sounds loads better than on CD.

Michelle Phillips

I thought things couldn’t get any better but then they almost did, when I span Ruby Tuesday by The Rolling Stones on the VGM Dansette. Its not the record player pictured in my gallery on the website (although that is a lovely great sounding record player of mine), it is a dark blue model which my long suffering manager repaired for me. Ruby Tuesday, has a special quality which is hard to describe, but my opinion of The rolling Stones is perhaps best conveyed thus. One day, I believe pop music will again reach the pinnacle the Stones and a few other 60′s bands arrived at. This song about a groupie, tenderly described by the emotional and sensitive Keith Richards, conveys compassion, beauty of melody, and Brian Jones wondrous composition with the added flute? or is it a descant recorder? I don’t know, but everyone needs the record in their lives. And the good thing is you can pick these 45s up cheap as chips on vintage ebay..sometimes I’m preaching here to the converted, but not always. I truly believe it all sounds a lot better on 45rpm vinyl, on a good Dansette. There are bad Dansettes- go for a late 50s early 60s one, Ebay or, there’s a guy who restores and sells them and he shouldn’t be hard to find.

I don’t want to make anyone jealous, but my next 45 was If You Think You’re Groovy by queen of soul and Small Faces collaborator PP Arnold. It was lovely to hear from her recently, she digs my Village Green Machine stuff. On this record, The Small Faces back her as the tune builds with bass, gospel backing and tambourine towards Kenny Jones’s clattering intro, to one of the 60s best 45s. Written by Steve Marriot after having withdrawn Tin Soldier from her,which he wrote for her, it encapsulates the soul, the rhythm and blues, the gospel, in a 3 minute statement infused with sheer pop glory, as all fans of it know. Verges on religious experience, and they were just kids.

I also played her excellent 45 of Cat Steven’s song The First Cut Is The Deepest. Another spellbinding 45.

Waterloo sunset by The Kinks was another special one, another gem to lift the spirits. Earlier in the week Dave K and I discussed the way Dave Davies gritty guitar playing compliments so well the gentler atmosphere of Kinks songs, which is what Dave Kusworth has tried to do admirably on my future song English Cafe. I wrote it under the spell of Syd Barrett and The Beatles, before I had got into The Kinks, but I digress. Nobody is going to believe me but that is the truth. anyway, Waterloo Sunset is a pastel watercolour 3 minute novel and an example of what a pop record can, and should be. A friend of mine is a friend of Ray’s but he seems aloof. That’s fine by me.

Then I played Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf. I don’t like it. But it was way, way ahead of its time and surely, made in ’68, was the blueprint for 70s hard rock. It is a really good record, but its not my sort of thing. It gave birth I can confidently guess to the expression “heavy metal” as this is part of the lyric. The guitar playing is pure 70s rock, much more 70s than Jimmy Hendrix, say. I hate it.

So I had to then play Take Me For What I’m Worth.

PP Arnold

We are having a lot of fun working on new Village Green Machine material, and making the first video. Its a “steep learning curve”, but funnily enough, it is really obvious what works and what needs editing out. We mimed 4 separate takes then put the best parts together. Filmed coincidentally at the same location as DC Fontana’s video, it is now full of other mod and psychedelic imagery- think Ogden’s and you’ll know pretty much where I’m at. Its way psych for one bit, but I’m no hippie. It is SO GOOD! More mod than psych. Should be out in a week or 2, and I will remind all via Facebook.

Last week at the hotel bar I mentioned to my mother that I like the new Paul Weller LP. Long pause. “Isn’t he that man in his sixties”? Sorry Paul I told you I couldn’t take her anywhere. Not content with prematurely ageing Britain’s foremost musical artist, she then turned her attentions to a rotund night porter. ” I wouldn’t fancy having him on top of me”. The sound of a persons voice deflects off the walls, straight into his ears I suspected. I have talked about Laura “just like nan” Lemon quite a bit in pat blogs, I like her utterly Keith Richards approach to life, which extends to her drinking propensities. She is famous for drinking my cousins under the table on Tennents Super. She has reassuring words for those who fear death, I personally was calmed by her reflection that “when you’re dead, you’re fucking dead”. Further afield I was pleased this week to see a notice on the wall of the church hall where I record, advertising crumpet at 20p. Sounds like a bargain to me. Also glad to see the dog at the end of my suburban garden making full use of a trampoline, and yet another suburban delight was my encounter with a driver with the green “P” letter stuck on the back of their car. Veering directly in front of me as I approached at some speed, I was led to wonder what the “P” actually stood for. Imagine my surprise when I overtook, to see the vehicle concerned was being driven by a fully made up transvestite.

Village Green Machine is primarily a sixties vibe, making new sounds from old sources, trying and I hope succeeding in making great records. I was in Jacobites with Dave Kusworth a long time before VGM, and we have been working together again. For the benefit of Jacobites fans, I will tell you all about my recent encounter with the good Mr K. He rang a couple of times wanting to know if I would like to get up onstage with him. We did this last year on some old tunes from Jacobites days, it went well and both of us were up for another crack. I turned up in shorts at the venue which Mr K thought was my new image, along with cropped hair, which had come off as I’d made a mess of cutting it, so it was back to short back and sides. Anyhow I assured Mr K there was no way I would be going on stage in shorts, and drove back across the city to get changed into my suit. On setting off for the venue, someone overtook on a bend, missing me by, all of a few inches. This is ominous I thought. At the venue Dave had already played, so there I was dressed up with my guitar, adrenalin racing and filled with dashed anticipation. An obnoxious drunk (no not Dave) kept falling into me as he danced, then persisted in elbowing me. DK told me to ignore this obvious fight provocation, and had apparently told the man over the mic’ that he was a “fat bald headed cunt” Well said, Dave. I arranged for Dave to be picked up the next afternoon, to come across for a session (musical) with me. He rang to say he was feeling fragile at precisely the time my manager had arranged to pick him up, so I suggested he made it to the front door and came over for the session despite feeling rough. I had the guitars and amp all ready to go, and Dave picked up my 12 string acoustic and went straight into a version of Silver Street. We had to smuggle him in because the church warden lives virtually on site.

Dave Kusworth - Shame For The Angels

In came a few strong cans, and we got down to overdubs on my songs for the second Village Green Machine LP. Actually my AC30 took one look at Dave and promptly blew up so I had to go back and get the Fender, as used on England’s Dreaming Spires. Dave played my Epiphone Casino on a song of mine called Hindenburg, in his typical bluesy rock & roll style. I am in the process of producing the track, editing D’s take. I have decided to use only the best bits, short splurges of pure DK, but we are putting heavy compression and lots of reverb and fuzztone onto his playing, just a ton of reverb in fact, and turning him right up in the mix. It sounds really cool. (PS this is now sorted, took 4 production sessions, he’s sounding great). He is also on my Stooges influenced “Poodle Dog”. A while ago I recorded a new, very 60s style version of Pin Your Heart To Me, our old Jacobites song which was covered by Evan Dando’s Lemonheads. I am delighted to say, Dave Kusworth has overdubbed a great vocal onto it, and I am thrilled to be using the track for the second Village Green Machine LP, with parts of Dave’s take and some of my vocals. I am happy for the song to be released by Dave as well. There is other important news, but I can’t say any more at the moment. but I think something really exciting may be about to unfold which will be of interest to Jacobites fans. I am itching to disclose some stuff but it isn’t appropriate to yet. You know, Dave and I are symbiotic musicians. We were in a band called The Rag Dolls for 3 years, (which made us gel) and actually I have learnt so much from him. He is not a part timer. He was a great guitar player when he was 20, you wouldn’t believe how great he was even then. He knows how to dress, has bags of style I hardly need tell his fans. And of course, he has been the most exciting performer one could be onstage with. It comes from within, this force of soulful expression in music which he puts out on stage. He and cellist Jacqueline Dupre are my favourite performers. It transcends any Keith Richards comparisons or any other comparisons when Dave does his stuff, because that inner soul could only be his. That’s a lesson for any musician. You have to be yourself in an honest way, and talent plays a real part. Experimentation is important too. And anyone who really wants to go the distance with music has to be willing to pay the price, for the privilege of doing music seriously. Also, I reluctantly advise any serious musician to get to session standard and be able to do some pro sessions, or do a day job and allocate hours around this to do music. Not that I ever have lol.

I get a lot of messages from Jacobites fans so I’m talking quite a lot about it all here. Dave K’s contributions are maybe like Dave Davies playing on Ray’s songs.

Mark Lemon.

Mod. 1960s- mid 60s. Pop, beat,soul, r&b, and a bit of psychedelia – only not the “far out” Grateful Dead stuff. Just the far out Syd Barrett stuff! This, is roughly where my interests lie and these areas are the ones I talk about here. Of course I make “records” myself, some like them very much I am glad to say. I produce them, write them, and play all the instruments on the recordings. Which gives me an insight into my specialist area which, frankly, would not be possible for someone who doesn’t play.

It wa Friday, and I found myself reviewing all 27 tracks on the “alternate” Revolver.

Village Green Machine is exciting as, we are now planning a 7 inch vinyl single, and have a new ad for the blog going out soon. My manager David Taylor has done a superb job on the website I think, revamping it recently. Thanks to all who express an appreciation of what we do, and buy the album or downloads. It makes it worthwhile. The creative side is going very well, the whole thing is a “fab blast”, absolutely smashing and, I hope you can dig it lol. Now, I’m sober and I’m not on anything, its getting worrying isn’t it, so without further ado, lets bring the time of the most happening sounds and style forward for you, to right now. Its life changing, but only in a good, nice way.

The Alternate Revolver

Right, plunging straight in to territory which may be of interest only to Beatles diehards, however, I think it a good point at which to review the “sister” album to their great Revolver LP, reviewed in the harsh light of sobriety in my last Letter From England blog. The LP to which I am referring is one to which I have given scant regard over the years, yet listened to perhaps with a more than half intrigued ear- it is, The Alternate Revolver. I was given it. I am merely its custodian; I might not even want it, after this intensive listen which will produce a review. Whatever, here is my thinking on this curiosity, which is of course a collection of outtakes and alternate versions, with alternate versions of period 45 single Paperback Writer and its very splendid “b” side, Rain. The great Rain.

So here goes. Lets hit the play button…

Paperback Writer, versions 1,2, and 3.

Its the middle of the night so I’m having to listen to this on a small thing. Immediate impressions are of a slower version, with a louder, more raw sounding guitar. The vocals sound louder on this first version, there seem to be no production or effects. It is quite revealing. Version 2 is faster, these all sound like serious attempts at the recording, which never made it for whatever intuitive reason. Version 3 has a pronounced vibrato on the guitar, and to me sounds faster still, and close to the final version but not there yet. According to the recording sessions book by Mark Lewisohn the song was recorded in 2 takes which were subject to numerous overdubs. So presumably the songs I have here are snapshots of various points of the construction of the song, and as such are interesting. Apparently PM wanted to evoke childhood memories so asked Lennon and George to sing the melody to “Frere Jacques” behind his lead vocal line. I must say it has never occurred to me, in all the 5 million times I have heard this song, that the backing vocals are that nursery rhyme, but that is precisely what it is. Here was me thinking it was some cool psychedelic thing:)

It is claimed the track is full of Revolver technological advancements, including limiters, compressors, the unconventional use of Leslie speakers and artificial double tracking. This certainly was the period when The Beatles music began to sound less organic and more studio driven. On Paperback Writer, the bass guitar of Britain’s best? bassist suddenly became more prominent.This is a point where the bands sound really changed for all sorts of reasons, one main one being that Paul here began using a Rickenbacker bass, which was allegedly more powerful than his violin style semi acoustic used until then. Paul grumbled about the Beatles bass sound – they went to clubs where they heard American r&b records with much more bass than they had on their records, and so, they began addressing the problem. For one thing, records with a lot of bass tended to make the needle jump out of the groove, so there was a reluctance to get a million copies of a bass heavy record made. However new technology soon prevailed- and on “Paperback” they used a speaker to record from the bass amp- lo and behold a massive bass sound emerged which very much characterises Paperback Writer. I read somewhere that at the time it was not considered by some to be as good as their previous singles. What? The bass is, perhaps as a compensation for previous lacking, very loud. And very, very good.

Now, second track on the alternate Revolver is the sublime “b” side of PW, Rain. The record which inspired my own bass playing, and which also seems to have a very much more powerful bass sound than their earlier one. I think they must have used the same ideas for bass they did on the “a” side. To tell the truth here, I always wanted that guitar sound on this record, and bought an Epiphone Casino and AC30 partly to get near that sound. But, in keeping with their new found experimentalism, and general scrapping of the rule book, the drums? and other instruments were altered in speed, on some kind of vari-speed, so the whole texture of the sound altered, giving this incredible sound. Very deep. I think most or all of it was recorded faster, then slowed down. Is this version the released “b” side or an alternate take? Or an unfinished version? I don’t know, but it sounds very close to the final version. My Village Green Machine song Wayward One is heavily influenced by the jangling guitar style on this great record. Anyone interested in mid 60s psychedelic music who doesn’t have the Paperback Writer/Rain single, should/must/absolutely must get hold of it, and a thing called a record player, (try ebay) it is a brilliant double sider, from the days when the “b” sides were sometimes on par with incredible “a” sides- the Rolling Stones Jumpin’ Jack Flash/child Of The Moon being another obvious example. The very best modern bands like Kasabian know these records are a difficult thing to match.

Next up, Taxman. Cowbell comes in sloppily on second verse. 3rd verse in, wild acid guitar blinds the listener. It all sounds quite fast. It is SO GOOD. Heavy fuzz on the guitar. A second fizzing, loud guitar solo. End. It sounds just like the released version to me. I am not pretending to be an expert Beatleologist. Dylan used to get these creepy people- fuck that. But their stuff does fascinate me.

Eleanor Rigby. Astounding cello accompaniment. I think this is the released version.

I’m Only Sleeping. Again, I think this is the finished version. Although, backwards guitars slip in early, it seems, then when they come in properly seem to sound different.

Love you To. Paul sang a harmony which was left out on the record proper, is it here? PS no. Take 7 was ‘best’. There were mono remixes, which were all edited together for the final record. Here, the Indian instruments at the end do sound different to the released version.

Here, There and Everywhere- 3 versions here. Version 1 sounds a lot different to the released song. The guitar sounds unproduced, the sound quite primitive and unpolished. Version 2, the timing is different on the early rhythm guitar parts.The drums sound, very tenuous in part. The song is being run through, partially realised but still a way off the end version. It makes me realise how much difference production makes to the end result. Version 3, slightly unearthly, as there are no drums, just the vocal parts and quiet rhythm guitar. Of course it is a truly remarkable song. Echoes of Brian Wilson in the harmonies, although, they were there first.

Yellow Submarine.Waves splash, daft joy abounds.When Ringo sings that many friends “live next door”, where does he mean, in another submarine? I said it was a weird song. She Said, She Said, 3 versions, Can’t wait. A big favourite of mine. Version 1- fascinating country tempo very early electric and vocal only version with key change- with the vocal melody hardly sorted to begin with, then taking shape a little more- this is like a very rough early personal record of the song. Incredible document. Version 2, more strident tempo, the countryish rhythm has now gone. Sounds like an acoustic guitar on this, he sings, “its making me feel like my trousers have gone”. This is incomplete, but the melody is more realised. Then in blasts version 3 which from the outset sounds like the proper finished version. It was a remarkable journey from the initial sketch here to the end result. Almost as though perfection was already there, beckoning. Representing the highest watermark of 60s British psychedelic music. Apart from the other ones they made. I rank See Emily Play by The Pink Floyd as equal, though.

Good Day Sunshine, then. Originally called A Good Day’s Sunshine’, it was the first take of this which made it to Revolver, with numerous overdubs. George Martin played honky tonk piano. He was really good! This version sounds like the finished one. And Your bird Can Sing, the drums sound compressed and loud on this version – Ringo always was such a direct, powerful drummer.This song sounds great with loud drums. Next, 3 versions of For No One. At least, the first is a sketch, with florid piano runs and an immense musicality already apparent. Take 2, there’s a sweeping run down on the piano, a few clattering drums, another stuttering piano and some dialogue, then a bit of piano and drums together. It adds up to nowt. The last version, has snippets of the instruments coming together in rehearsal, a bit of vocal laid bare. But it is pleasurable to hear these snippets because they are from such amazing music, interesting to hear some of the evolution of this incredible album. This acoustic/piano texture with serious songs was fairly new in pop- Ray Davies was doing similar things in The Kinks. Serious, scholarly songwriting with piano and acoustic, … Hey what’s this, its Dr Robert. I did not realise with the deadline approaching for the submission of this blog that there were 27 blasted tracks on this album. Dr Rob sounds cool, and as the released version. You’ll pay money just to see yourself, indeed. That’s clever actually, isn’t it? There’s quite a lot of distortion on those jangly guitar parts. I Want To Tell You, again the drums sound louder. This song seems to portend, something around the corner. Got to Get You Into My Life, an early version had Paul’s “superb” alternate vocal, with different backing vocals. but not here. This sounds like an incomplete mix, near completion. The song at one point was heading in a very acoustic direction, but after a few takes alternative ideas were discussed, and Paul decided he wanted heavy brass. Eddie Thornton was asked, who played with Georgie Fame. So the pedigree there was great, and the results, well, what can I say. Georgie’s tenor sax player also got the gig. There were several more brass players, it was said The Beatles wanted a definite “jazz feel”. Paul directed the brass, Lennon gave the thumbs up, rushing from the control room to shout approval. “Got It”. The version here sounds complete or near.

Tomorrow Never Knows. I am looking forward to this, because in ’66, it was simply the most avant garde pop record ever made, as George Martin said recently it still sounds it. So lets hear it under construction…and try to find out what all those weird, incredible sounds actually are. First though, a little background on this groundbreaking record. It was the first song to be recorded for Revolver. Apparently, the first take was “sensational, apocalyptic, and very close to defying adequate description”. This was before all the tape loops and sound effects, as well. There are guitars, fuzzed up and played backwards through a Leslie revolving speaker, which Lennon’s vocal also went through from a minute or so in, and Artificial Double Tracking which meant moving a second image of a vocal, or whatever, very slightly to create a double track. Anyhow this is getting technical I know, so if you are still with me, I’ll blast the track. The seagull sound is in fact a distorted guitar, according to engineer Geoff Emerick. The sounds here are not of this world, and evoke an other worldly experience or state. Feedback intrudes. The sounds of another planet seem very loud on his first version, Lennon’s vocal, more subdued in the mix. The second version here has the weird squiggles of sound turned up, the terrifying rush of backwards sound, the scariest most exciting thing I have ever heard. This version is incredible as it has all the best bits up loud, it is incredible. George’s sitar drones. 9 versions were mixed. Then more, but at the last minute prior to pressing GM selected version 8. I must play these earlier mixes on the hi fi, at volume. It is another world, terrifying and brilliant.

So anyway there you have it, some info on Revolver, it deserves it, you never tire of this album, an essential part of any decent music collection. The “alternate” version can be viewed as a fascinating insight into the construction of one of music’s greatest LPs.

Paul McCartney, was perhaps the real wolf in The Beatles, the really strong character, it strikes me. This turns conventional wisdom upon its head, Lennon having been thought of as the harder of the 2. But Paul seems less vulnerable, it was he who told the press to shut up to their faces, who shooed his audience away after a recent show, and, allegedly responded to his mother’s death by worrying about how the bills would then be paid. When Ocean Colour Scene went to record a version of Come Together with him, he said, “right you’ve got 3 minutes”, a close friend of theirs told me. Lennon sounded a more open character with a less abrasive attitude, to me. But then he was full of attitude on that last Playboy interview, and, I am throwing ideas around here. McCartney was an intellectually adept, working class lad like John, who dug the rock & roll bigtime. All the heroes of the day were black and American – obvious examples were the blues musicians, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles. Then of course, the extraordinary Elvis Presley. In the book I read, Paul describes a wanking circle, in which he and Lennon participated. Various members of it would shout out, like, Maralyn Monroe, or Jayne Mansfield, then just at the crucial point John Lennon would shout out “Winston Churchill”. Nothing wrong with Winston churchill, a very good looking chap, but I believe it killed their ardour. Or something like that.

Paul and John dug the Parisienne art students hair. The pointy boots, who knows where they nicked that from, Gene Vincent? Certainly Gene was adored along with Chuck and Bo, and obviously Buddy Holly. This is worth special mention as, Buddy’s records were fairly obviously precursors to the Beatles sound, which did not emerge from thin air. The Everly Brothers were another influence. The Beatles hung with an arty set right from the start, Lennon having a close friendship with early member Stuart Sutcliffe, a very handsome experimental artist who died tragically young from a brain tumour. It is very hard to pinpoint the Beatles genius, and a revelation for me to discover just how much they have meant, and continue to mean to me, as a person and musician. Certainly, Paul’s talent was emergent as a songwriter on the early albums, as a shift from rock & roll covers to self penned material became apparent. Very quickly, the greatness became evident, as on attempted 45 Every Little Thing. It was not considered good enough for a 45. Crazy. The point is, a soon as the McCartney/Lennon songwriting began to replace the r&b covers, it was apparent that their songs were better, in some if not many or all cases, than the material they idolised and were recording from America. Paul moved in the artiest circles as the 60s unfolded, with the ideas of experimental art directly influencing the Beatles.I have already explored this in my observations and ideas on Revolver, but it spread across their work. Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt Peppers are too much for my tired brain to now comprehend, but I look forward to examining these phases in future.

Paul sang Helter Skelter, perhaps The Beatles hardest rock song. Julia, the most delicate of Beatles songs, was Lennon’s. So, the stereotypes of Lennon and McCartney are crushed by such evidence. And to his great credit, Paul, Sir Paul is still rocking hard with his band, and at his best writing songs with almost as much going for them as those written at his acknowledged peaks. Fine Line, and English Tea for instance. Great songs, and underrated.

Linda was so obviously his perfect match, his later marriage something of a personal tragedy. Although not vegetarian I admire the McCartney’s stance on animal rights issues and vegetarianism, but I get ill if I don’t eat it so I carry on. Plainly Sir Paul is a national institution, a kind of national monument. A living Beatle.The most recent shows I have seen him do on television have been very, very good. Its nice to have him, I love him I do. He must be nearly 70 now. And he hates the seal torturers and so do I.

Mark Lemon.

Hi all who are coming from the Beatles Facebook pages. John. You know, I have thought much about every member of the band, every day for years! I constantly reflect upon each member and thought I would share my ideas here. Lennon, I get such a distinct impression of his personality. The younger man seems to have been surly, aggressive, perhaps intimidating. But also funny, quick witted, charismatic and living on the edge a bit. He hit Cynthia, he was hurt and hit her. So she claimed in her very enjoyable book about him. His father was a seaman who spent much time away, there was a struggle for the child between him and Lennon’s mother Julia, allegedly at one point the young lad was asked who he wanted to go with- him or me. So no wonder under so called primal scream therapy years later this childhood agony emerged. I am talking of course about songs on that traumatic, sparse but at times brilliant first solo LP, during which John it seems consciously exorcised painful childhood emotions in primal screaming style, on the end of the track “Mother”, at least.

Lennon was a young bohemian, at art school and flouting convention. Beatle bashers don’t recognise the artistic side of the band, all were described as “arty” by Paul, and certainly Lennon was by ’65 on the cutting edge of bohemian fashion, dress wise. Obviously of a high intellectual level, he loved the 50s rockers, particularly keen on the records rather than seeing them live. Manager Brian Epstein dressed him in a suit as part of an attempt – some might think successful – to introduce them to a wider audience than the Cavern club in Liverpool. Lennon’s most famous guitar was a 6 string Rickenbacker, every garage band in America copied what they were doing musically and in terms of the kinds of instruments they used, and how they dressed.

In my opinion, the best Beatles songs were jointly written, the hits knocked out McCartney claimed without the use of drugs. Although the songs are diverse melodically it can be quite hard to identify which bits were written by Lennon and which by MCcartney; I have never read any book which has identified who wrote what within each song, although there are obvious things like Paul’s “woke up, got out of bed” lines which are evidently bolted on to an existing song by Lennon.

John was a Dylan fan, an r&b fan, a rocker, and had excellent taste in more general pop, as his personal jukebox, an actual 60s relic, revealed.

The Parkinson interview revealed a likeable, down to earth man who had abandoned some earlier prejudices. He liked Donovan’s music and was a close mate of his.

Adopted by his Aunt Mimi, part of his childhood was spent in this formidable lady’s detached middle class suburban home, Aunt Mimi herself being unpopular with Cynthia who claimed she threw some fruit at her. Lennon’s parents evidently were rougher people, even rougher than that! His mother Julia was killed by a car when John was a young man, an experience which surely welded the bond between John and Paul, since Paul’s mother had died from breast cancer when he was a similar age. Lennon smoked “pot”, and got into acid. In the end, the experiences became horrific leading to his disenchantment with the drug. He went to stay with a guru in India, but was embarrassed by his flirtatious antics with a member of the British visiting party, as demonstrated in the song Sexy Sadie on the White Album. Cynthia could not relate to the acid era Lennon who was tripping it seems at home in his stockbroker belt residence, then along came Yoko Ono, who wished to be Lennon’s partner. She stopped with Lennon at the family home, while Cynthia was away, and was there, I believe in her dressing gown and slippers, when Cynthia returned. An “avant garde” artist, Germaine Greer said that in truth John would have been putty in Yoko’s hands. Certainly she was a strong woman from a moneyed background, who had a clear agenda. (PS I like Lennon’s assertion that avant garde was French for bullshit). Lennon’s interest in things like macrobiotic diet and world peace seem directly attributable to Yoko. In retrospect, and judging by the Playboy interview given very shortly before his death, the couple were fairly standard bearers of the alternative thinking hippy ethos, which covered feminism, on Yokos part anyway. This thinking has now percolated through to mainstream society, and, it has been claimed, is infact the new conservatism.

Yoko’s performance art included Lennon, doing a “bag in”, that surely came from Yoko. Some might think this made him look rather foolish, as did her appearance at the Rolling Stones rock & roll circus, where she is shrieking along to John and Clapton’s playing, Lennon no doubt excruciatingly embarrassed and feigning great appreciation of Yoko’s extraordinary vocal extrapolations.

John Lennon

Backstage 1966

Still, the poor woman was with him when he was shot. The account of this I read makes the stomach turn over and the blood curdle, so lets leave it there and reflect that, with McCartney, he penned some of the 20th centuries most enduring popular songs.

When I interviewed The Searchers I asked what it was about the early Beatles which was impressive and was told it was their power as a live band. Lennon was a loud powerful vocalist, Twist and Shout would be the end of most singers tonsils and voicebox. Let me see if I can find that rather good picture. recently unearthed from a duffle bag, which was recently printed in a national newspaper.

Revolver

Here is my Revolver review.
For many, especially 1960s enthusiasts, this is regarded as the best Beatles album of them all.

It was one of the first albums I discovered when I began to get seriously interested in 60s music. I always loved the cover, the excellent psychedelic black and white line drawing by Beatles friend and Manfred Mann bass player Klaus Voorman. On the back, the cool exciting pictures of the band, with great haircuts and dressed in that kind of mod/psychedelic crossover style, which was around before, of course, the Sgt Pepper look which some think a little over the top. This rear sleeve design was typical 60s b&w shots, presumably a custom which was more about saving money than looking cool in artwork terms. (Not that they had to worry about that by ’66, I am sure.) Plus the black Parlophone label. All together, all this looks fantastic. You know I say all sorts of things as if they were facts, but of course I am expressing my subjective opinion. However, I am confident I am right when I say what a great looking album Revolver was. The heavy vinyl. Everything. Mine is a later vinyl copy, I’d love an original. Anyway, to the music.

Taxman was a bold statement of George’s maturing prowess as a songwriter, and surely its adoption as introductory track on this great album suggests the other band members acknowledged this. A sparse recording with very loud vocals, tambourine and lead guitar, it seems characterised by a kind of minimalism, a stripped back quality with little reverb, which defines its sound. Topical lyrics about the rock stars tax predicament, an acid psychedelic lead guitar break and hints of McCartney’s “Rain” style bass playing, which is a style of bass playing in its own right, fix this song in place as one of the Beatles best.

It is incredible that the standard this track sets is maintained if not surpassed throughout the album. Eleanor Rigby radically shifts the mood, with its swooping cellos scored by George Martin I think – didn’t he deserve a writers credit if he wrote those parts? A song full of English atmosphere set in a churchyard, its subject matter far removed from the bohemian avant garde its writer lived and worked in at the time. It seems his thoughts were sometimes far away from the cool clubs and new elite of musicians, actors and comedians.

I’m Only Sleeping has a smashing acoustic guitar sound, that of the J60 acoustic I think, the bands deep drum sound now perfected, with terrific swathes of backwards guitars and superb harmonies. A lyric which suggests dreams and perhaps being stoned in bed, leads to a final crescendo of backwards guitar, the whole atmosphere being extremely woozy yet compelling.

Love You To is the albums first sign that George has really gone for the Indian thing, the entire track comprising Indian instrumentation, George’s melody developed, and rapidly so from the Carl Perkins rock outs of just a couple of years earlier. This shows huge changes in his life. The deep waters of so called mysticism already seemed upon him.

Here, There and Everywhere is a gently executed piece of McCartney brilliance, a piece of perfection which frankly is scarily good. It seems to be an extremely original melody, which points to experimentation and a gifted creativity. Paul was – is – an arty bloke. This is superbly confident and like the rest of the album, the sound is brilliant. The technology of the time and ambience of Abbey Road contributing much to the end results. No harsh sounds like you get on recordings from, say, the 80s but lets not even mention that nasty word. It might bring up images of Kajagoogoo which is almost as disturbing as when I brought up blood last month so lets get back to the sublime REVOLVER LP right now…

Yellow Submarine, the slightly daft song given to Ringo perhaps as a slight throwaway, conjures an hallucinatory atmosphere with its sound effects and “full steam ahead” instructions, “all aboard”, etc. Obviously in part a children’s song, it is in fact a surreal song as well. After all, how many yellow submarines are there? There might be thousands, I don’t know, but it sounds a bit odd to me. Isn’t this all very Lewis Carrol? I still haven’t read his stuff.

She Said She Said, Village Green Machine favourite and Lennon acid story, is a simple enough piece of work, with fantastic Epiphone Casino guitar sound and fuzzed up lead, a record with a swing you can dance to, with super singing and a cool period double time ending. I don’t think music comes much better.

Good Day Sunshine is VERY McCartney. Typical in its melodic content of his songwriting, especially during the mid to later Beatles era, it has a strong chorus hook, sung over and over, which has a feelgood vibe and an experimental ’round’ type acapella ending.

And Your Bird Can Sing sounds to me very much a collaborative effort, the bridge sounding very different from the preceding part of the song. At one time I think I am right in saying, it had George playing a very Byrds style 12 string part, this early version full of stoned giggling. This, the proper released version, loses the 12 string having a very well measured double lead guitar part to end.

For No One again has a marked contrast between the differing sections of the song. It certainly sounds as if someone with a very different sense of melody is writing the chorus. Surely it will always be a mystery, who wrote exactly what on some of these Beatles songs. I love the English sounding brass. Piano is present pointing to the new advancing texture of the bands music.

Dr Robert sounds very Lennon to me. An r&b song fundamentally, with a key shift and hooky psychedelic guitar part, the album as I hear it now is inducing a sense of synaesthesia, it seems to sound green baby its sent me on a trip I’m losing it….hope I’m back in time for tea. Dr Robert is a pretty druggy lyric. Didn’t Nixon have a Dr Robert type character who filled him full of “enhancements”?

I Want To Tell You brings in more of that McCartney? piano sound. Of course it could be Lennon or even GM playing it. But the strident rhythm suggest rock & roll, this yearning melody again elevating George to much more than a lead guitar player. Fab harmonies end another mysterious Indian influenced track.

Got to Get You Into My Life is McCartney’s brass laden r&b song, reminding me of, say, a song like Sweet Soul Music, more that Stax r&b influence perhaps than Tamla. But his young English voice, despite a brave attempt, doesn’t have that black grit. Shimmering psychedelic guitars and pumping organ help mark this track as very British 60s – and lets face it, that’s where its at. That and the sounds of America.

Tomorrow Never Knows was a radical departure from anything pop music had done before. It was surely unprecedented, and a brave step into the unknown. It is experimental, Paul playing with tape loops apparently in spare time. Generally he was perceived to be the straight Beatle, but he did hang out with arty types, he was in fact at the centre of that scene which saw an opening up of new ideas in various areas, film, art, literature and so on. Yet this I think is a Lennon lyric. At this stage seemingly still fascinated by LSD, the drug he later renounced as a passage to a chemically induced hell, the lyrics I believe are taken from a book written by a very funny fellow indeed, who has a great deal to answer for. Enough said, but, at least this incredible song, with its groundbreaking musicianship was a product of what at the time, was thought to be thinking which would open new doors.

And so. I read different accounts of what those weird backwards sounds are in this last song on this incredible LP. One account had it as Sir Paul’s laughter played backwards, fast. Another that is infact guitar playing sped up. It does sound like seagulls. George Martin had already done much experimentation with weird sounds as a radiophonics producer, so when The Boys wanted sound experimentation for their artistic ends, Sir George was all set up.

Last week, I promised a review of mid 70's chart act and 40 year old English institution, Steeleye Span. The review is a little further down this blog.
I have to tell you, it is a wonder the review, or indeed this blog are appearing at all, as on the way to Birmingham Town Hall, while driving at 40 mph I looked up and noticed a line of cars right in front of me. I jammed the brakes on full, stopping two feet from the back of the car in front. Women drivers, they're all the same.
Understandably a little (lot) shaken I made my way to the Paisley Arcade office to pick up my manager for the show, expecting bucketfulls of sympathy.

Mark Lemon

"Do you make a habit of driving round blind bends at 40 mph" was the sum total of the sympathy I received. He drove both of us to the show, our conversation a little tetchy as the 8.00 show start time passed. My nerves were still near to being shredded, as actually the car incident was really no joke, and I could have been seriously hurt. Still, never mind I thought, I'll have a quick drink. I had a slight disagreement with the Town Hall bar staff over the price of drinks, which concluded quickly with my remarking "no way". Further ruffled thus, I decided the best course of action would be a few moment solace in the disabled lavatory. (When I went to college, I used to find inexpressible mental relief having closed the door behind me in the disabled toilet, a space of solitude and near bliss, a safe womb like cocoon, a sterile smelless concrete casm where no human eyes could prey, no breaths nor voices be uttered, no observations made, utter heaven). The disabled loo at the Town Hall more or less faces the bar, its staff and throng of customers. I opened the door wide to enter, and a lady was sitting on the toilet, her legs spread wide apart and stomach showing. "I'm most terribly sorry" I spluttered, utterly mortified. I tried to close the door but hadn't opened it wide enough in the first place to get enough swing for the door to shut; or was it that the disabled toilet is a vacuum, thus any attempt to shut the door hastily results in some air suction matter- a sort of implosion- meaning the door wont shut. Anyway it didn't, so to my horror I realised I then had to open the door on the poor woman again in order to have another attempt at shutting it, which I did, with equally unsuccessful results. Still, anything to avoid queueing up with all those old men. Some of them can be a bit funny, you know.

So imagine my relief this evening at having only to take my mother out to the hotel bar. A few feet away from us, a couple were struggling with their luggage. My mother said, at the top of her voice- "He looks all right, but I don't think much of his wife". Then a rather overweight member of staff walked past, "What A Shame".
Still, a little later, my mother reassured me on any anxieties I may have concerning the future life of the human spirit, beyond this world, with her observation that "When you're dead, you're fucking dead". This was indeed fortuitous and calming reassurance, as I have spent most of this evening struggling with the instruction manual for my new carpet cleaner. As any friend of mine will tell you, I'm a practical kind of guy, but I read the assembly instructions for half an hour before realising the thing was already assembled.

Do you know, without my manager and engineer, I'd only be selling a few hundred downloads and a handful of hard copy albums.

Paul Weller

Still, I find myself buoyed along by my mother's other observation this evening that "either of us could be dead within the next 5 minutes", so with this this in mind let me make haste to tell you this weeks Village Green Machine news.

There isn't any.Yesterday, I stayed in bed until 6PM. I'd had a couple of Barclays, obviously I'm not up to it anymore. I fell asleep until teatime, waking up for breakfast with an horrendous headache, a condition alleviated only by my dressing up as Paul Weller, LIKE I USUALLY DO. Now I know some of you won't like this, but I asked someone I know, nothing to do with Village Green Machine, to inflict some pain upon me. Knuckles were dug deep into the tender part of my neck, it sends shivers of pleasure over me to just think of it. It was bordering on agony, I was loving it. Lo and behold, my headache evaporated as sexy endorphins coursed through my body, carrying my headache away, off, off into the mists of oblivion, its resting place being only the doorsteps of those few who have not already purchased England's Dreaming Spires, or downloaded that veritable treasure trove or some of its constituent parts. Described by Mark Lamarr as "Such A Great Album", it is available from all major download sites, and on CD from us at villagegreenmachine.com. Also, the EP Psychodrama is available from the website shop, featuring 2 tracks exclusive to that same EP, which are "Believe In Love" and "Battling To Survive" respectively. This is a CD single as well as download. Played on R2 and R6.

Other VGM news. Really boring, but I'm getting a new head put on my snare drum over the next few days. At the moment I am itching to sort the live issue out.
Yes, the website is being completely redesigned. It is now up, being more functional and more up to date. A lot of work has been done on this. Bournville High Street with its oak timbers and red telephone boxes will be featured , this is where we live.

Also, we have been filming. A Part Of England, solo, me playing Epiphone electric.

Anyway serious news is that, having gone through many recordings, we have taken notes on all production outstanding, and have begun to finish up ie complete all the songs recorded after England's Dreaming Spires. First project to complete was Shake and Shimmy, its a very brief 60s r&b blast, very rock & roll influenced with a Bo beat and Fuzztone, and I recorded the vocals on the proviso that whatever I sang would have to be kept as the final take. Not, necessarily easy as I had not sung the song, even once before. I knew the tune but the lyrics were all new, actually the timing slips behind the beat, but it sounds like my singing has moved on since the England's Dreaming Spires sessions. Phil May here I come. I have been singing to a lot of r&b. Practice wise, I mean. So, this song to me seems '65 Pretty Things meets a whole '66 psychedelic merry-go-round freakout in the middle, it is over by 2.10 if that, it is really dead exciting and dead good and I kid you not. A fab blast for the second LP. Thank God it sounds allright, with idiots like U*'s plugger telling me I- get this- need to do something original. I'm not on about Steve, my nephews mate. But this other bloke. Some bands need all the help they can get. This week we also got onto finishing another track lined up for the second album, called Have You A Wife. This is the tale about my visit to Crouch's (I kid not) 1970s style menswear traditional clothing outfitters, where the outfitter agreed with me that "yes, I had a very large……head." I left with merely a Breton cap, but almost left half a stone lighter. Anyway this experience – and my serial consumption of Are You Being Served, which I bought a boxed set of a while ago, instructed my song. Not to mention the influence of Aftermath era Rolling Stones, and a strong falsetto Tiny Tim influence.

Carry On Camping, part 2. Its really good! But the plot gets more complex in the second half. My manager will tell you, I have to have the plots of Carry On films explained to me. Its really bad! I have watched Whatever Happened To Baby Jane over 20 times, I am now finally getting the hang of it. Soon, I will tell you what happens in part 2 of COC.
I do love it, its a great film – one to store on DVD alongside your French arthouse productions.

Have just enjoyed The Black Windmill, a 1974 Michael Caine film.

Now, last thing this week, let me tell you about a fab, northern soul track I have just found. It is entitled I Want To Know, by Sugar Simone. It is just fantastic, like one of those really great records you love the very most. I've played it 5 times today. I like it as much as Brown Sugar and Telegram Sam already! I hope we can put a link to it at the bottom of this blog but if not, oh well. Its one to tell my acquaintance Dean Kavanagh about on Facebook. Do you know of him?

My other musical preoccupation this week has been, the brilliant MOJO compilation album from a few years back called Soul Of '65. It has Billy Nicholls, The Searchers singing brilliant pop/psych obscurity Popcorn Double Feature, P.P Arnold's If You Think You're Groovy, and tracks by early psychedelic- and brilliant- Status Quo, John Mayall, The Small Faces singing Get Yourself Together, The Poets, Jump and Dance by The Carnaby, in fact 20 spotless tracks. Just the best compilation ever, in fact, it should be reissued or commercially released. There seems to be a lot of obscure Pye stuff on there, just these great 45s. There's 'Circles' by Les Fleur De Lys, you are either with me or you are not on this, if not, do check these sounds out as they are above most other music,

Cheers,
Mark.

Here's the Steeleye Span review I did for the Birmingham Post:

Steeleye Span

At the Birmingham Town Hall

A British folk music institution. Drawing on traditional folk music as a primary source, Steeleye cleverly integrated contemporary rock influences, enjoying high profile success around 1974-5. They are most wideley remembered for hits All Around My Hat, performed at the Town Hall as an encore, and Gaudete, the life changing Latin acapella number which certain audience members cried in vain for as a final encore.

Steeleye Span

It is Maddy Prior, however, who in truth remains the centrepiece of the band, despite obvious endeavours to give equal representation to the respective talents of other members. Still beautiful with long centre parted hair and flowing crimson robes, she dances like a girl. It is her clear bell like voice, however, which still magnificently identifies Steeleye most markedly.

Steeleye Span belong to a thriving underground tradition, and remain one of its most high profile purveyors.

Mark Lemon

Get Yourself Together, and the Steeleye Span interview were written by Mark Lemon for the Letter From England blogzine at Village Green Machine

Steptoe and Son

But not before they lose the wedding ring, which, they realise, must have landed in something soft when it flew out of the window, since it made no sound when it landed. After a very smelly wedding ceremony, they jet off, with the old man Steptoe, for a romantic honeymoon in Spain. Except the old man gets food poisoning, and has to go home, near death he says, therefore Harold must go with him. Leaving his wife in Spain, with the tour host, who happened to be an old flame of hers. Of course all Steptoes rely heavily on the pathos of the younger man, the son, who is continually frustrated in every endeavour by his possessive father. Harold wants to rise above his social position, but the old man ruins every attempt he ever makes, be it to become an actor, or a ladies man, or a politician or intellectual of some kind. And usually old man Steptoe succeeds in the very thing Harold actually fails at, and usually it is the old man’s fault- indeed he normally causes his son’s disasters, while triumphing himself. Perhaps the very peak of 1970s comedy, Steptoe and son remains an iconic comedy, with brilliant sets, always clever writing, and great performances always by Wilfred Brambell and Harry H. Corbett. Apparently both were straight actors, Corbett described as a British Marlon Brando prior to becoming somewhat typecast by his role in Steptoe. Brambell was gay and drank heavily, apparently blowing out a performance of Steptoe in Australia leaving his acting partner at the mercy of a comedy hungry crowd, juggling to entertain them. They were reputed not to get on outside the series as well as within, a suggestion denied by the Steptoe inner circle. A film was made about their real life relationship, which I have yet to see, but which allegedly casts the actors as virtual enemies. Sad to think they are long gone, great to remember how good this entertainment was, how amusing and endearing, and how typical of its era and country of origin.

All of which has little to do with my 12 string Rickenbacker guitar. It is taking ages to get the 60′s style pickups fitted, but it will be sorted soon and I can’t wait to get onstage with the guitar. You have to have the right pickups fitted, and the right compressor pedal to get that great sound. I am told a 12 string Rickenbacker put through a Vox AC30 amp is the most sublime sound known to human kind, soon I will be finding out- it is going to sound great live.

I am very happy to be playing live again, warming up recently with a few open mics in Birmingham.

Next day. The Patrick Kavanagh open mic was enjoyable, I like the people who run it, I like the audience reaction. Some of the performers could be really good live in a proper gig situation, I can see things. Come and say hi if I’m down there again. I will be doing more open mics soon, will be updating my activities on the front page of the website- what is coming up soon will be there on the front page and will be up to date. Of course the open mics are just an entree into doing live work proper, but, they are worthy and fun.

Dennis thanks for your comments on the Action single ‘Shadows and Reflections’. It is an incredible record, shame radio 1 were playing Pinky and Perky at the time, and Englebert Humperdink instead of picking up on the many commercially failed brilliant 45s around at the time. Pop history could have been quite different, and better. Its a wonder Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd ever got into the charts.

This week have been listening to Booker T and the MGs Green Onions album. Their music has great atmosphere, Green Onions needs no introduction, I like the story that someone asked the keyboard player how the levers on the Hammond were set to get that incredible sound, and he apparently replied ‘you mean those things move?’. I enjoy the bands moody restraint, and superlative dynamics. Always just the best instrumental band, peerless I think. Apparently one of the guys was killed, shot in a burglary incident at his home. I find it interesting that Steve Cropper, their legendary guitarist, was voted greatest guitarist of all time in a guitarists magazine some while ago. To be honest I wouldn’t have thought the readers of such a publication would have had such good taste, but there we are!

Mark Lemon

I found deeper levels to music as I discovered the studio albums by my favourite, mostly 60′s artists. Obviously, the Beatles and Rolling Stones made many strong albums, much of the material below the surface of public consciousness. Strange and extraordinary to think many have never heard Revolver, or Aftermath, or Beggars Banquet. Or the Kinks Face To Face, and Village Green Preservation Society. And what about all the great early Monkees albums, they made several killers, and some good later albums. There was good stuff on Hollies albums, and Manfred Mann albums. And The Bee Gees, made ridiculously good early albums which are not far short of The Beatles best, or even of Brian Wilson, in my opinion.

Latterly, cult obscurity Would You Believe by British songwriter Billy Nicholls lifted me into a chemically enhanced state without any chemicals- and of course The Pretty Things fantastic SF Sorrow also emerged quite recently as a strong selling set. A commercial flop at the time, its extraordinary psychedelic experimental songs are now respected very highly by those in the know. An essential acquisition. They were as good as The Beatles, you know. Talking About The Good Times….that song is top flight British psychedelia and there were others on SF Sorrow, maybe extra tracks which were the best Brit psych, which may not have been on the original album but are on my CD. It is as good as it gets and a highly recommended purchase.

I mentioned The Zombies Odessey and Oracle in my last Letter From England, it is a delicate yet hip, English sounding album which has plenty of breathy space, and tastefully arranged songs, a set which like SF Sorrow is now regarded as a classic, and like SF Sorrow, flopped at the time. Maybe it was overshadowed by the brilliant but some might think overblown charms of The Beatles Sgt Pepper. Its failure robbed The Zombies of the recognition they deserved and broke the band’s spirit to persevere. They had no resolve to continue and sadly disbanded. But, as they say, ‘the good will out’ and ‘Odessey’ is now highly acclaimed, with recent performances by (most of) the band of the entire album. It is beautiful. It is English. And, I think both by default. I cannot believe how great it is, being Mr Paul Weller’s possible favourite album. And remember, he’s considering there putting it above The Beatles, The Small Faces, Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield. That’s how good it is.

Odessa by The Bee Gees, I think a 1968 LP, is another album which was no great success at the time, but which is a substantial body of top class songs and music. Again, it is now recognised as being something special.

My run down of at the time flops now highly regarded would not be complete without comment on The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society.
It is this album and its vibe, and Odessey and Oracle, along with the early Floyd singles which inform most the Village Green Machine aesthetic. Village Green Preservation Society uniquely reflected, in wry humour and affection, on a passing England.

The Kinks

People think Ray Davies came from a middle class background, this is rubbish. He is a highly intelligent, politically and socially conscious man, who in 1967/8 was on the fringes of the great social upheavals of 1960s Britain. He could see the old order passing, the breakdown of social class, at least the breakdown of the rigidity of the categories of working, middle and upper class. He was part of the new world, of the rebellious new society of the young, which has taken 40 years to become the new orthodoxy. Evidently he had mixed feelings about the passing of the old, which provided rich pickings for satirists The Beatles.I cannot help but feel Ray was more saddened by what he saw slipping away. The 60s must have been tumultuous times, a period of excitement as old mores were abandoned and new freedoms adopted. Did everyone really want all that freedom? Did Ray? Was there a down side? Of course there bloody well was but I will leave blasting hippydom and its far reaching consequences to another blog. The title song on the Village Green Preservation Society album is a catalogue of delightful Englishness, and although I live in humdrum suburbia, that Englishness is only a stones throw away from me. Walking distance away are the Jacobean mansion Lady Bradford’s Hall, with its restored gardens and teashop, next to the sublime high art Victorian church. Outside is the village green. This is where I live, and these are the places I love.

Mark Lemon

Village Green Machine

Lets Dust Off The Hidden Classics, is one of Mark Lemon’s Letter From England blogzines for Village Green Machine

Hi, we have had a few weeks break from any real music business activity however I am now refreshed and ready to rejoin the foray. A number of new songs have been recorded in recent weeks, without drums, things like ‘Valentine Rd’, acoustic Dylan meets The Monkees and The Lilac Time, in a song about, pertinently topically and poignantly, a soldier away at war writing back to his partner. Does he ever get back? I am leaving that to the listener to decide, in this fab new number.

Yeah I know it sounds proud, but it is a good one. Then there’s, a major new one called Rushall Churchyard which we have spent ages producing and recording. In the background are the influences of early Jefferson Airplane, Peter Green, and possibly the quintessential Englishness of Odessey and Oracle era Zombies. However I think the Zombies parallel is mostly coincidental. After all this is my song about strolling in an English churchyard- with a ***** but lets not go there. I have sung multi tracked harmonies like I did on the first track of the first Jacobites album. You may know I record in a church hall, sometimes I sit in the church. I may have walked around it in the dark. So those are 2 recent projects. VGM is moving into a new phase soon, suffice to say for now we have not stopped recording and producing and, are currently shaping up the second album. I now consider The Zombies Odessey and Oracle to be the finest British album ever recorded.

They say there’s a book in everyone – I think so, if you imagine what a detailed no holds barred account of anyone’s life would read like. It is upon this kitchen sink premise that I intend to write future songs. I would like to write autobiographically, and in a detailed way about things I have experienced. No shortage of songwriting source material there! Isn’t the stuff of life a good source? I have never copied other lyricists, ever. OK maybe a few times early on, but that’s folly. None of that has survived, even in my memory. I think I want to keep writing a personal paragraph in this blog, as well as the reviews and pop history since this is a personal blog, after all.You get someone as neurotically self shielding as Bob Dylan, and wonder at it. Then you get the unwise vulnerability of the later Lennon. But friends of mine read this so its a way of saying hi to them, and of course a blog is something which has mostly parameters set only by its writer- it can go anywhere, or not go anywhere its writer chooses.

And so, right now let me turn to music, which for me started with my father bringing home a pile of throw out demo 45s from the hospital radio where he worked as a presenter and actor. Ludicrously valuable freakbeat 45 I Don’t Want You by The Anteeeks was in that pile of records, which I chose as a favourite 45 for my guest spot on the Mark Lamarr show. It is pure 60s garage, in fact if you look for it on myspace there is a page especially for this great track. Fuzz guitar and Vox organ are part of this driving anthem, a total classic. Another song in this pile of records was The City Never Sleeps At Night, by Nancy Sinatra, another big favourite. There were records by The Stones and Beatles, and Searchers. I remember at school, we had a dance class at which a teacher played a CBS 45 by Paul Revere and The Raiders, maybe ‘Let Me’, which was ridiculously exciting to me as a child. At a school disco there was I Want To Hold Your Hand. I do remember being horrified by the amount of attention I attracted at this disco, as I made these badges which I pinned on my purple flares, with pictures of pop heroes on them. I just went mad when The Beatles came on, I’d never heard them before and I thought they were so great.One time I went to my father’s friend’s house, who was a BBC engineer. He played me Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly on his posh hi-fi, and I was totally ecstatic. I know now it was the sound of the lo-fi degraded drums going through all the valves and reverb, which made it sound so incredible.
Then I discovered T Rex. I was just a little kid. Telegram Sam and Metal Guru blew my brain off into another orbit, and it felt like the end of the world when my 45 of Metal Guru got broken on the stone floor. I loved Little Bit Of Love by Free. Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones. These records had an incredible groove, which still informs what I do. I adored The Sweet, and other great 45s by the likes of Mud, Suzi Quatro, and Mott The Hoople. Later, I was excited when I heard about The Sex Pistols. Their records delivered, more joy. I bought a lot of punk /new wave 45s by The Ramones, X Ray Spex, Generation X, The Stranglers, Elvis Costello and many more. How well they stand up today. I used to record Jimmy Saville’s radio 1 show, where he played the top 10 of however many years previous, which is maybe where my 60s infatuation began to be reinforced. I spent my Saturdays in record shops, all my pocket money went on 45s, many of Jimmy’s oldies became mine.
Meanwhile I got into disco, courtesy of Radio Luxembourg, a crackly intermittent broadcast which I tuned into to hear the latest disco charts. I still like the best disco records- it is a much maligned genre to this day I am sure, but records like I Feel Love, Young Hearts Run Free, and You Make Me Feel (Might Real) by the great Sylvester, not to mention Chic and many others, still hold up for me today as being great pop. I bought the first rap records released in the UK, namely by Curtis Blow, and Sugarhill Gang. Again, they had a great groove. Growing up in the 80s I remember saying how rap was the most exciting thing around, I think I was right. I loved the grooves, still do and am influenced by the rhythmic side of rap. However I did not like the gangster side of things when that really emerged. It was always underneath I suppose, but a certain rap band changed the face of rap and took it down a road I turned off a very long time ago. I will always dig the beats, though. Around this time the 80s kicked in, quite healthily at first with the genius of Dave Wakeling’s Beat, 2 Tone, and a generally fresh atmosphere after punks explosion opened everything up. I bought various pop 45s, but later could only count the Jesus and Mary Chain and The Smiths as really worth bothering with. By the late 80s I had begun to play music myself, playing with Dave Kusworth’s great Rag Dolls, and then Jacobites. After this, I became infatuated with 50s rock & Roll. I had flat top hair, wore a 50s suit for a while. I saw a great theatre play about Eddie Cochrane’s last tour, which had a live band featuring Joe Brown. I think he played on that last fateful tour, in ’61. It was a tour with Gene Vincent. The play and especially the 50s music- sounding as it did, replicated brilliantly in an old theatre, was such a thrill. I went back to the cheap seats night after night. I bought a load of 50s compilation albums by all my favourites like Eddie, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, and Sun era Elvis. Was influenced by the Elvis ’68 TV special. I learnt to play all the guitar solos from these primitive sounding early singles, sitting up night after night alone with a couple of cans of Special Brew and 10 B&H, putting the needle back to the start of the solo again and again as I learnt the parts. It was an essential musical grounding. It taught me how to play guitar, and improved my bass playing a lot.

The Small Faces

Back to grunge, I was and am a big fan of Neil Young, grandaddy of grunge with his Live Rust album. I used to play real heavy like Neil back in those days, but the air cleared for me somewhat with Britpop. Oasis were a revelation, I like the best of the rest such as Common People by Pulp, and occasionally a Blur single. There were other good singles around the fringes, and some crap but I think it was overall not a bad time. Oasis were incredible. Listen to Morning Glory, its opening music states unequivocally who the greatest band in the world were at the time, who were the top dogs. Not all easy people, but songs like Sad Song for me confirm George Martin’s claim that Noel Gallagher was the best songwriter of his generation. Sad song and Rock & Roll Star had melodies as good as Joni Mitchell, and they were Noel’s. Suede were a great, earlier band. Supergrass and Dodgy were way above average.
The Stairs made a great retro 60s record called Weed Bus – you should hear it, just fantastic. See Youtube?? Sorry the chronology is a little muddled here. The Stairs and Suede were pre Britpop, I think. After this there seemed to be a void. OK Travis made the odd good single, there were always a very few good records about. But it was only when The Strokes came out that I turned on to modern music again. I’m a fan, and White Stripes are an important band for me. I appreciated Franz Ferdinand up to a point. I liked The Hives. There was a major shift in the pop aesthetic, with bands like Kasabian emerging, and the 80s becoming chic. I like early 80s primitive electro, I am still intrigued by the earlier electronic shenanigans of Kraftwerk. I am fond of The Human League, and even Soft Cell.
But, however fascinating the shifting tapestry of pop may continue to be, nothing has come along which fascinates me as much as the primitive, reverb drenched sounds of 50s and 60s music. POP music. It has been recognised by top record producers that digital sound leaves something lacking to many ears, I was amazed when I heard my stuff firstly purely digitally, then through valves. The difference is enormous. The crips clarity goes, when you record through valves. I don’t like crisp chilly clarity one bit. And so with my vintage reverbs, valves, and ribbon microphones, and natural room ambience, I make my musical statement. Also we are now experimenting with reel to reel tape, and tape overload. Sounds great. I believe in having a great song to start with. You need a good concise structured song. It has to have great melodies and lyrics. Then, good musical hooks, good sounds on all the instruments, and good production. I hope I can deliver always this to you. The second Village Green Machine album is provisionally titled Life With The Lid Off. It is very strong.

The Killing Of Sister George

Sorry I never got to do a comedy review this week, but will hopefully review 70s classic The Rag Trade next week.
A favourite film of mine is The Killing Of Sister George starring the peerless Beryl Reed, and the lovely Susan George, with Coral Brown playing the predatory lesbian role. I watched this on rotation while on holiday in a caravan in Wales recently. Beryl played an incorrigable rough and ready dyke, who in the film starred in a really corny 60s TV soap about country life. Throughout The Killing Of Sister George we are treated to eminently banal snippets of this dreadful afternoon trash, in which Beryl is a country doctor visiting patients on her scooter. The television company want to oust her from the soap, so the plot of the film proper evolves along the lines of Beryl’s removal as a character. She is a drunk, hilariously jumping into a taxi with two beautiful young nuns whom she heartily fancies,

Sister George

This film and Entertaining Mr Sloane also starring Reed are certainly two high points of 60s film for me, unlike The Knack (and how to get it) starring Michael Crawford and Rita Tushingham. It soon curries disfavour as the most notable feature is the systematic, literal demolishing of a very attractive art deco house. To me, it all smacks of 60s avant garde drama, (sixth form drama group vibe) its experimental trickery now light years in the past. However, it does feature some great clothes and cars in black and white, although I doubt it will ever be more than a period oddity to me.

The Church In The Garden is just one of Mark Lemon’s Letter from England blogzines found at the Village Green Machine website.

- An extract from Mark Lemon’s Letter from England blogzine for Village Green Machine

OK I will write this blog, was not going to attempt it tonight as I rather feel my brain is taken apart, I’m coming off Tamazepam again, and large great chunks of flying faeces are hitting the fan with horrible regularity in my life, and especially in the lives of those close. (PS Which impacts on me. What touches those close to us seems to touch us very much). I came to the conclusion recently that life, is about making hay while the dark clouds amass above us. Because, they never stop for long. Or to put it Lou Reed’s way, ‘make a point of having some fun’. Things can go along quite well for a good while, but I think life’s ever shifting kaleidoscope regularly turns to monochrome and this is why my new philosophy, is to take this into account and put some splashes of colour into life’s mix from now on. I mean, all sorts of shit is going to happen. I used to be the sort of person who thought my life a horrid mess because the sky was never free from clouds, whereas everyone else’s life seemed relatively sunny. Sorry for obvious metaphors. Whereas now, I have no reason to assume my life is particularly bleak. I now think most people’s lives are, frankly rather bleak, and that therefore lets all make hay, and sun, as a deliberate policy amidst the grey skies.

Thank you Marcus Rossi, an extremely clever, good looking, intelligent man who writes for Shindig! Magazine, for the following review of England’s Dreaming Spires, my LP available now from villagegreenmachine.com:

VILLAGE GREEN MACHINE
England’s Dreaming Spires
Paisley Arcade CD
www.paisleyarcade.com

Village Green Machine is to all intents and purposes a one-man operation, the man in question being the estimable Mark Lemon: and a man of considerable taste and refinement he is.
England’s Dreaming Spires, as its title readily suggests, taps into a very specific and cherishable vein of UK popsike. However, while Marks unadorned English singing voice betrays a loving debt to Syd Barrett and often calls to mind David Gedge of The Wedding Present, oddly the finished product utilises a considerably broader palette than one might expect. The super-clean guitars and splashy drums, deliriously awash in a bath of reverb, are closer in essence to Joe Meek than George Martin, while Marks lyrics throughout are sharply observant, wholly contemporary, insightful and witty.
You Make Me Feel That Way, Rollercoaster and The Whole Of My Heart, all effortlessly immediate, would be hit records in any truly civilised society, while My Eccentric Cousin is what 65-era Dylan would have sounded like sharing a travelling rug with Phil Spector in a rainy Birmingham bus shelter.
Marco Rossi

Thanks Marco.
One thing is for sure, I always use 60s sounds. Usually I experiment as well. The truth is beyond this what I do is difficult to pin down, as I never stay still for long. So England’s Dreaming Spires echoes Cliff Richard one minute, The Ramones the next, while being made to sound like early Beach Boys. And I mean, I sing in a British accent. I utilise whatever influences come to mind, I mix everything up but ofcourse one has to be able to write a good song. A certain plugger recently accused me of being reliant on other people’s material as the basis of my work, this is complete arse. I celebrate my influences but, if he had bothered to listen to the substance which is mine alone, I think he would have found some worthy original substance. Great that Psychodrama has been played on Radio 6. Wiithout the assistance of a plugger.

This week, we got in despite some heavy personal issues and got recording, I did a song called I Love The Music, kind of Beatles folky/sea shanty style. But I let go of this blueprint and experimented with the types of overdubs, and just generally experimental….the muse flew in the window when I was producing and its a happening track, its got this very distorted fuzztone guitar- the one given to me by a close personal friend from a very cool famous group from the 1960s lol- . Describing music is plainly like trying to describe a colour, … but I am glad because I am never secure, in as much as I can never sit back and think, the next recording will be really good. That would just be a dangerous conceit, and not everything I do turns out. I am still not happy with English Cafe, and I’ve recorded that maybe 6 times or even more. If you like Village Green Machine I will tell you though, I am really thrilled by the way the second album is shaping up. Doing this thing is my life, any money I’ve earnt before VGM has been snorted up someone else’s nose, or worse, and music, is all. I think album 2 will be on its way in spring next year. File sharing, I can’t condemn that since I expanded my own musical landscape a lot by copying albums onto tape when I was a kid, but, supporting us with an album purchase will help keep this thing going.

Did anyone see that interview with Cliff Richard recently by Piers Morgan? Why ever doesn’t that bloke come out of the closet- and Cliff Richard as well.
I have criticised Cliff in the past, for having made a lot of bad records, but now with my blog apparently being read by several hundred people a week, (look I’m not Rupert Murdoch) I think I had better be careful incase I offend the over 70s, Cliff fan club. There is a Monty Python sketch where the Conservative women’s institute or some such decide to sort out lazy working class men, and people interested in sex, and go on the attack with their handbags- (ps pre Margaret Thatcher) I am shaking in my shoes at the thought of the very real possibility of offending at least one Cliff fan I know – but anyway I’m sorry but I am going to speak my mind. I think, he was, and is, a great bloke. No, hold on hipsters, don’t go yet. I was in a band with a drummer who was also a security guard at a major UK venue, and apparently when CR played there, he gave them all T Shirts (which they wore of course) and was really nice and allright. Well, it does count for a lot and I’m not being ironic. Whereas when Barry Manilow played, allegedly, he made all the security guards turn their backs when he mounted the stage. The thought of being mounted by Barry is enough to make me thrash around in search of something, anything, less horrific to distract and console- where was I, yes, Cliff Richard’s good records. Now I defy anyone- to you know, tell me I’m talking crap on this. I think, Move It, In The Country, When Blue Turns To Grey, Miss You Nights, We Don’t Talk Anymore, Carrie, Wired For Sound, and especially Devil Woman are great records.WBTTG and ITC, I take that sound as a role model, among a thousand others in the Village Green Machine mix. Its no good being snobbish, if a record is good its good, however dodgy the image, dance routines etc. And with Cliff, I suspect a choreographer was to blame for some cringeworthy performances. Also I have to say, I was disappointed by that clip of the latest Shadows reunion. They’re 70 and looking amazing, but they had these girls doing the hand jive for a song called guess what Willie and the Hand Jive, and it was kitsch nostalgia taken a step too far. I mean, theres no need for that. Because, among musicians, guitarists at least, who are into old pop, The Shadows are, I don’t think I am exaggerating to say, iconic. Hank leading all those hits with great melodies, on guitar? And Brian Bennett, a very class act on drums with a great sound. I happen to know the tickets for these shows were £60 a head- (I didn’t go) but I have 2 original copies of greatest hits on original vinyl, looking cool sounding even better, and anyone who knows Village Green Machine stuff will surely recognise the influence of The Shadows ”The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt” on my guitar playing. (Cliff and the Shadows on tour)

Thanks for enquiries about Jacobites and related, it was great, we had a lot of fun. All go and listen to It’ll All End Up In Tears on youtube, that’s incredible.

Three times a week is a lot for anything (l o ******* l) no thats nasty but it is – and I’ve watched The Anniversary starring Bette Davis and Sheila Hancock three times, not in a week but in as many days. I got a DVD of it on ebay. Made in Britain in 1968, Bette Davis plays the tyrannical matriarch a few of us may recognise in our own experience. With a patch over one eye, she waltzes down her staircase dressed in an orange Crimpelene mini dress to greet her 3 family business sons for an anniversary gathering. One son is a ‘knicker snatcher’ ooh er, another a regular workman with his own children and wife sheila Hancock, the third a dapper young mod with a beautiful fiance to introduce to mother. It is a black comedy period piece without conceit, every aspect exuding conservative sixties style aesthetically.The knicker snatcher speeds away in a Vauxhall Victor FC estate with chrome bumpers, ofcourse. The mod son wears a double breasted jacket with small high lapels, a ‘pea coat’, and has a good haircut unlike myself (bad hair day thanks to Christos) The film looks old, in an indescernable way which I, we?, like. Basically, Bette Davis plays this dragon who runs the family building firm, the entire plot being a study, an hilarious disturbing observation of family politics, when a tyrannical nasty woman is in charge. High entertainment. I won’t disclose the plot further, but I highly recommend this film as a suitable companion to Entertaining Mr Sloan. It is pithy, direct, unpredictable, outrageous and funny. I found it on UK ebay.

For more reviews and the usual news, come back soon ie next week

Cheers

Mark Lemon

Village Green Machine

VILLAGE GREEN MACHINE NEWS/NEW POETRY WRITTEN BY MARK LEMON FOR LIVE PERFORMANCE/ LONDON DATES UNDER DISCUSSION/ COVER OF JACOBITES PIN YOUR HEART TO ME RECORDED/ LIVE GIG AS PART OF MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL WITH DAVE KUSWORTH/ LITTLE STEVENS PEOPLE GET CD THEY ASKED FOR…..

And here I go again. Last night I wrote a 2 hour blog into which I poured my innermost self, or even innermost self, then accidentally hit delete just as I had finished telling you, all about the nasty 1980s (which were OK for some music) and all about, my gig with the aforementioned Dave K. But actually, this deletion gives me the opportunity to stay up late again and drink a little more than usual, so really I am relishing the opportunity to prattle, rant and extrapolate.

Here at the Village Green we have been writing, recording and producing as usual. The cover of Pin your Heart is partly a cover of myself in as much as I played bass on the 3 original versions. Now I’m singing it, as did Lemonheads Evan Dando with Lemonheads. ps surprise surprise. I never heard his version. I don’t know hoiw many Jacobites covers there are; but Mercury Rev did Silver Street. I was a little miffed they missed my 3 part harmony vocal intro off their version- I managed to put it back at the gig I did with Dave Kusworth last weekend. I also played the guitar parts on the Robespierres Velvet Basement songs which I originally recorded, and the intro to Kings and Queens was reinstated for the first time in years. Dave and I did mostly Robespierres songs at this gig which was a tributary to the Moseley Folk Festival. I got there 2 minutes before he went on stage, hadn’t seen him for a few years. No rehearsals.I got up and played my 12 string acoustic to the songs, improvising and also playing the parts I originally played on the records. Of course Nikki Sudden is sadly no longer with us, nor is Epic Soundtracks. Epic and Nikki were in avant garde punk band Swell Maps before teaming up with Dave and myself for the Jacobites early albums. Dave was very much in his acoustic mode for this gig, and of course the songs remain very distinguished.” Famous When Dead” is the badge I have seen Mr K wearing, but actually he is famous in many countries around the world, we sold tons of records, and if Britain can’t get it, well sod them. A few do. The albums keep getting re released as well.

Dave Kusworth

I bumped into Pid at the Moseley gig, who runs the Birmingham mod club. There is a do on at Cobs bar on Sat Oct 10, 125 Sherlock St Birmingham. 8.30- 2.30 playing r&b, rare soul, boogaloo, 60′s funk, and mod rarities. Just about every time I go out I see Pid, whether its at Le Beat Bespoke or wherever. I send him e mails, which he answers but when he sees me he doesn’t connect me with the e mails! But I think the mod club idea is great. It is called the Brum Beat mod club, you can find it on myspace. Why should the city centre music clubs be a no go zone for everyone with taste? Pid is helping redress the balance.

In my accidentally deleted blog I was talking about British 80s music, and owning up that my appreciation of this decade is growing, when I consider how good some of the leftfield pop actually was. Obviously I was in nappies at the time. But I do remember Lloyd Cole, I was a very sophisticated 4 year old. Lloyds records had a clear air of bohemian literacy about them, it was said he was derivative of Lou Reed but in fairness, thats an easy stone to throw, and Morrissey considered him a worthwhile friend, until LC ‘started saying nasty things behind his back’. I’ll slap your hands and face for you! There must have been a hissy fit, handbags hurled with no regard to human life, copies of On The Road torn to pieces before the others eyes, Oscar Wilde posters ripped down, and quiffs ruffled. Lost Weekend sounds great now though, so does Jennifer She Said, I love that and always did. Easy Pieces is a great album, in my opinion better than the very good Rattlesnakes- and, much good taste was in evidence in the artwork, guitar sounds, and so on. In fact it was 20 years ahead of its time aesthetically. Nice graphics. I would like to do a cover like that done for Rattlesnakes, but look at the 80s graphics on Easy Pieces! I suppose some people think that looks cool now. I don’t know exactly where the chart run petered out for Lloyd, it seems a shame it did, but he went solo with an album which had a harder attitude musically and presented Lloyd Cole as a man’s man- and, this is purely my opinion, but I wonder if the record company image making dep’t had a hand in trying to toughen up his image. Stubble, cigarettes, and a much harder musical edge. His voice seemed to change and he was recording in New York. All the delicacy of instrumentation went in place of innovative Indie rock, but The Stones Roses and Happy Mondays were waiting around the corner with their baggy jeans and house inspired aesthetic.

The Smiths

Just as punk killed Brian Ferry (for a while) perhaps so too did Indie Dance sweep aside most who went before it. It shook the Jesus and Mary Chain up, who, unnecessarily as it may now seem, began adding dance beats to theiir records. Morrissey hated all that, and managed to survive the shift in fashion, unlike Lloyd Cole. But then The Smiths were for whatever reason a much more important group than LC and The Commotions. They were so adamantly original, and self confidently so. And, they were the soundtrack to the 80s. Stretch Out And Wait is a song I keep on about, but it is just beautiful and special. It is a working class song of innocence. It will change your life forever, if you let it. That’s art, and genius.

Genius. It was chemistry, and how old was Johnny? 21? Somebody had to claim the decade and make it theirs, and it wasn’t going to be, you know lets be frank here. Frank who? Frank. Frankly Mr Shankly, I am aiming my harpoon of good taste right now at- oh my goodness, can I even bear to think about it, wiithout collapsing- I am a sensitive artist- look, oh God. I’m sorry I have to mention it. Mark Knobflers headband. And his lyrics about micro wave ovens. That is such sad boyo cock rock. We are now entering a frightening malaise of very bad taste, no, don’t turn away. If I am man enough to face it, you too must come with me on a brief exploration of that which was so bad, it caused madness. Actually I might get threatened if I go on. But, him with the perm, right? Long shaggy perm. In band with moustachioed singer. Bland, massive. John Peel compared their shows, perhaps a little unfairly, to the Nurenburg rallies. But, we have to be honest about the overall aesthetic. Was it not absolutely vile? Indeed, the Queen I like sang in the fucking Smiths, not in that lot. Really bad offences against good taste in the 80s then.

The mainstream pop and its presentation were obviously the main offenders. George Michael admitted he behaved in deliberately commercial ways- he could sing, but wasn’t that music plastic and horrid? And ubiquitous. That’s the problem I had with it. Queen Dire Straits and George Michael. There I was trying on my nappies in Debenhams and on it came “microwave oven”, and something about magic by Queen. Now to take this further and into more controversial territory, wasn’t Live Aid, however noble the intentions of its creators, just the absolute bottom of the barrell? The low watermark. It encapsulated the very worst aspects of 80s pop, in a perfect nutshell. Thanks heavens for the arrival of The Stones Roses. Many imitators rode the wave for a while, then Nirvana kicked in here in a big way with Teen Spirit and once again all was swept aside. I would like to offer my thoughts on Cobain and Courtney in a future blog. Suede were a great band, glam inspired but intense, talented and new. They had a great look, although Brett Anderson happily confessed that he did not ‘ponce around in Suede type clothes at home’.

Guitarist Bernard Butler was a huge Smiths fan, and I think it fair to say they were part of a certain lineage of great British bands. The Stairs shone briefly with their fantastic retro single Weed Bus, and by now the 80s was gone in spirit, and style, and almost in politics. I think by then Mrs thatcher had gone, the Tory administration staggering on under the deeply unpopular John Major.

The Horrors

Whatever, things were becoming exciting and pop music, its fashions and attitude were renewed. Most mainstream pop was undoubtedly dire, but something glimmered in the midst of it. I am too tired, and so are you for me to go into the 90s, but plainly something altered radically when Oasis put Cigarettes and Alcohol on a free NME tape. It was I think a great record. They were so strong and powerful, their songs so excellent they defined a whole era. Songs like Rock & Roll Star, and Some Might Say inspired George Martin to describe them (or Noel anyway) as the best, supposedly they heralded the ‘new laddism’, Cool Britannia! Jarvis came out with his erratic but brilliant band Pulp, Common People being my favourite record of all from the mid 90s.

Tony Blair’s arrival seemed to signify enormous hope. It was really exciting. There were bands to get really excited about, and what about the hedonism? A lot of young people got very smashed. It was a working class thing, ladettes and Loaded magazine. A clearly defined era. I’m no expert but I really feel it, how it was back then. It is amazing to compare the feel of the glam era of the 70s, with the punk era, and then the whole atmosphere of grunge, how incredibly distinctive these scenes seem in relation to each other. It is heartening to reflect that, however much the money people seek to take over, the true spirit of pop music seems to keep resurfacing in different guises.

Creativity and artistic sincerity have continued to thrive in this atmosphere of scarcely disguised commerce. We saw The Libertines, The Strokes, The White Stripes come through, Franz Ferdinand, Kasabian and others with something real. And latterly, The Horrors. I met Mr Spider Web a while back, he’s a really nice lad. I gave him one. Yes, a copy of England’s Dreaming Spires, the cover of which he appeared to recognise. He was DJing at Dr Robert’s Le Beat Bespoke event, playing obscure 60s vinyl, we were all dancing and having a great time. Their drummer Coffin Joe was wearing a nicely tailored mod suit and dancing to Northern Soul…not what anyone would expect, but then neither is their second album. Well outside my usual sphere of reference, I almost crashed the car listening to Primary Colours. What a collision of experimentation that album is, it is so intense and soulful. They seem like the new heroes to me.

Mark Lemon

Village Green Machine

Yep, things are going crazy. the snowball is starting to roll, if anyone is wondering.

Did you get a chance to look at Bill Rivers myspace page last week?

Well I think Bill likes the England’s Dreaming Spires album, judging by what he told me:-

“Yes, your record is simply brilliant! As well as just being a joy to listen to (which, when it comes down to it, is the main thing) it is really smart! It’s probably instinctive on your part, but there is that kind of fusion (horrible word I know!) of early 60′s surf with the later 60′s sound and then the great bands of the 80′s (yes, there were some!), my eccentric cousin is a great example, reminding me of dylan, the smiths, the kinks, pulp, byrds all in one and then that break…smile period beach boys!!!…just awesome! Your vocal reminds me of a mix between syd and morrisey, warm, charming, heartfelt! Infectious, clever pop, fresh and an extremely well thought out album. Seriously, there’s not a duffer! It is an album ‘proper.’ And that is a very rare thing nowadays!

You talented bugger!!”

Thank you Bill

On with Village Green Machine,

The new song I’m recording, ‘Dog’ has wah wah to go with the Farfisa, it sounds like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts singing I Love Rock & Roll done by The Archies with Syd Barrett singing. Of course, it sounds like nothing on earth. But it is adding up, the thing is, its all experimental all this music, but I only use 60s sounds and instruments. And so, this new pop is happening. I like the heavy reverb pop Andy Warhol liked, My boyfriend’s Back, The 4 Seasons, Shangri- Las, things like this. And I do not filter these influences into an ‘Indie’ guitar sound, ie distorted guitars.

An image from Warhol's show

I just do this 60s sounding pop, but it is pop with a capital ‘P’. Its just that the experimentation and lyrics mean it moves into a new area. ‘New area’ sounds like something you’d find in a shopping centre, I know. All you may have heard is England’s Dreaming Spires, but we have recorded a lot more since. If I were to be specific I would say, I am bringing the 60s sounds through, note sounds. But, creating new music. So the new, consists (again a rubbish word) of the old, only rearranged, with fresh creative input. I mean, look. You’ve got to be able to write to do this thing. I mean, write melodies and good words. You’ve got to be able to know when to stop when you write a song, one has to understand economy. Melody writing is about hooks, this isn’t so much a commercial proposition, as the basis of all good music. Human beings need, I think, an attractive sequence of notes in order to connect with music. There may be music which requires a broader attention span, Mahler is it? But, I prefer Moonlight Sonata. The melody is there immediately, it is beautiful, it is transporting. And isn’t this the secret of good pop- it has this kind of uplifting melody, which hits straight away. That’s joy. Underpinning this is ‘the groove’, which should be in my view, the percussive equivalent of a really filthy, dirty shag. I know you don’t all smoke tobacco, but I’m sure you can understand what I mean.  where were we, oh yes, the groove, seriously, is like that and, then you get something much more fine over the top of this, ie the melody.

A Warhol event flyer, 1966

Now this is where a group like the Stone Roses come in, because you had Rennie giving the sex rhythm, and John Squire providing the high art melody on guitar and vocal melodies, and IB too of course. Put some good words with this, and you’re in business. There’s more to making a good pop record, but it seems to me the basis is something like this, it is fascinating. As Keith Richards said, many bands know how to rock, but its the roll that’s missing. It wasn’t missing on Brown Sugar and Start Me Up. But, it seems to me very few bands now have that swing/groove. All these ‘Indie’ guitar groups, they bluster. I mean to be honest, there really isn’t much out there at the moment, yet again. Its an overcrowded marketplace, with too much dodgy goods on sale. Village Green Machine have the melody, the groove, the song structure, the lyrics and the experimental instincts. The passion and the soul – I feel this too is coming through. There may be an ‘X’ factor in great pop, I don’t know, but it is tantalising to think there may be an aspect which one cannot account for. This would mean, it could not be consciously included by even the most devoted pop musician, like myself. I’m not sure I like this idea but, it remains fascinating. I mean, what is music, where does it come from? Good music seems to be an expression of the human spirit connected to creative talent. But, what exactly is talent? I don’t know, but I’m off to bed. Passion in the arts, there’s a subject to contemplate. The Village Green Machine album England’s Dreaming Spires is released on Oct 5, along with the single Psychodrama which has 2 new tracks not on the album. I’m hanging onto the rocket, hang on yourself and, see you soon,

Mark

Village Green Machine